Magic Awakened: A Reverse Harem Romance Complete Series

by Sadie Moss

  Fen’s somber eyes roamed my body with a similar freedom. His large hand swept along the side of my face, and then he pulled me to him, holding me gently under the stream of water. I rested my cheek on his damp chest, pulling strength and comfort from every molecule of his skin that pressed against mine.

  After several long moments, he drew back.

  His brown eyes were dark as he lathered shampoo in his hands and scrubbed it through my hair, massaging my scalp until my eyelids fluttered closed. He tipped my head back to rinse my hair before I lost his touch for a moment—then his hands were on me again, slippery with soap as he glided them over my skin, washing away the remainder of this horrifying day.

  My mind began to clear, my numb body coming back to life under Fenris’s ministrations. Water poured over us both, rinsing away the bubbles as he traced a path down my curves, his large palms gently massaging and kneading. When they reached my hips, he dropped down to his knees in front of me, looking up at me with an expression of such abject worship I shivered.

  He pressed a kiss to my belly, then lower, and lower still. I let out a gasp, biting my bottom lip, and he lifted one of my legs to drape it over his shoulder, giving him perfect access to what he sought.

  “Fen…” I whispered, my fingers sliding through his wet hair.

  “Please, let me take care of you. I want to make you feel good,” he murmured, darting his tongue out to lick my core, sending bolts of pleasure snaking up my spine.

  He was. He was making me feel so good I could hardly see straight. And I didn’t want him to stop.

  A flicker of guilt passed through me that I could be enjoying anything this much after Beatrice’s death, but I pushed it away. I wouldn’t let her death go. I would find out who had done it and make them pay.

  But right now, I needed this. Fen’s adoring eyes, his hot hands, his worshipful tongue—they were the antithesis of every awful thing that had happened today. They were life and love and happiness.

  I shifted my hips restlessly, and his hands moved around to grab my ass, pulling me closer to his mouth. He sucked and lapped at my clit until my legs quivered. Water poured down my body, slipping past his hungry mouth as he devoured me like a starving man. When I let out a low moan, he increased the speed and pressure, adding in a gentle nip with his teeth that drove me over the edge.

  The knee of my standing leg buckled as I cried out, and he slid his hands up to my lower back to support me, his shoulder under my lifted thigh helping me stay upright. He gave a few last long, torturous laps with the flat of his tongue, and a breathy laugh escaped my lips as I squirmed.

  “I think I’m clean.”

  Fenris looked up, the sadness in his eyes replaced by a wicked heat. “Then I better get you dirty again.”

  He stood, pulling me toward him for a hot, wet kiss. I could taste myself on his tongue, and it sent a thrill of lust through me. His hard length pressed against my stomach, trapped between us, and I could feel the depth of his desire for me through the bond we shared.

  Maybe it was because of the additional psychic link we had in wolf form, but I’d always felt particularly attuned to Fen’s emotions, and the things he was feeling now made my head spin.

  Want.

  Need.

  Love.

  He pushed me back until I leaned against the shower wall, his kiss demanding and passionate. The smooth stone cooled my skin after the heat of the water, and I shivered, moaning at the mix of sensations. Fenris groped at the wall beside us until he found the knob, switching the water off. Our slick, wet bodies slid against each other as I pressed into him, desperate to get even closer. A sound like a growl rumbled up his throat, and I fisted his damp hair in my fingers. I loved that sound. I wanted to make him do it again and again.

  For a few moments, nothing but the noise of our sharp breaths and low moans filled the space as the steam began to dissipate around us. When Fen pulled back, we were both panting. He slid his hands up my sides to my breasts, thumbs teasing my nipples, and my head fell back against the wall. I watched him focus on his task with hooded eyes, every flick of his thumb or brush of his fingers sending jolts of pleasure zinging through me.

  When he’d worked me up into an almost desperate state, he met my gaze again, brown eyes full of lust and humor. “Hang on.”

  Fenris slipped out of the shower and returned a second later with a large, fluffy white towel. Pulling me away from the wall, he dried my body, starting with my legs and working his way up. The texture of the towel sparked a completely new set of sensations in my flushed, tingling skin.

  When he reached my head, he draped the towel over my hair and rubbed furiously like the human equivalent of a wolf shaking out its wet fur, and I laughed. He opened the shower door and tossed the towel out then smoothed my wild hair with gentle hands.

  When he stepped out again, I was about to follow, but he stopped just outside the shower, his back to me. He glanced over his shoulder, a wide grin splitting his face.

  “What?” I shook my head, confused.

  “Hop on.” He waggled his eyebrows then patted his shoulders with both hands.

  Oh, good gods.

  I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t suppress a smile. He had promised he gave a mean piggyback. Reaching up to wrap my hands around his shoulders, I scrambled onto his back. He caught my legs, lifting me easily.

  When I looked down over his shoulder from this vantage, I could see his long, thick cock bobbing in front of him as he walked us into the bedroom. The sight made my belly clench and heat spread through me like wildfire. I unconsciously ground against his back, pressing my breasts harder to the smooth planes of his muscles and clenching my thighs tighter around his waist.

  He let out a choked grunt. “Fuck, killer. Hang on. We’re almost there.”

  When we reached the bed, he ripped off the top blanket I’d been lying on earlier. It was stained with marble dust and dirt, but the sheets underneath were clean and smooth. Turning around at the end of the bed, he released his hold on my legs, plopping me down onto the soft mattress. I bounced lightly then scooted up the bed as he crawled up after me, a predatory glint in his eyes. His hair was still damp, drops of water clinging to the dark tips, and his skin was flushed.

  As he dipped his head to kiss me, my hand slid down between us and grasped his hard length, stroking lightly and then harder, pulling another growl from his throat. It was my turn to torture him, and I did, with gusto—until he pulled my hand away, his fingers clenching around my wrist like a vice as he fought for control.

  “Not this time, killer. I have to be inside you.”

  In answer, I spread my legs wider in a silent invitation, and he settled between my hips.

  Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he slid into me, then withdrew and pushed in again.

  “I’ve dreamed about this since the day I met you,” he murmured, his voice thick. He shook his head, droplets of water flying off the ends of his hair. “But what the fuck did I know? You’re better than I ever imagined. In every way.”

  My heartbeat picked up speed with every thrust, my clit throbbing from the pressure, my skin on fire where his hands roamed across it. But it was the look in his deep brown eyes that nearly undid me. It was something more than lust, more than love even. The intensity of it scared me and thrilled me, and I knew this was more than just sex—this was a claiming.

  When I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, he finally broke our burning gaze, kissing me deeply before withdrawing completely and urging me onto my stomach. As soon as I rolled over, he tugged on my hips, pulling me up onto my elbows and knees and plunging back into me. This angle hit delicious new spots, and something about the feel of the large, dominant man behind me, his muscles straining and hips pumping, fingers digging into my hips, made me tingle all over with desire.

  “You’re close,” he ground out, his voice strained. “I can feel it. Let go for me, killer. Come for me.”

  I hovered at the edge of release, my body quivering
and breath coming in short pants. I didn’t want to let this end, but I couldn’t last much longer.

  “Say it,” I gasped, my voice muffled against my forearms.

  His thrusts paused for a heartbeat. Then they picked up again, slower and harder.

  “Say what?”

  There was a smile in his voice, and I was sure he knew exactly what I was asking for. But the fucker was going to make me say it. I clamped tighter around him in frustration—though that clearly wasn’t an effective punishment, given his groan of satisfaction. He drove into me harder, nearly stealing the breath from my lungs.

  “Just… say it. Please. Tell me.” My words were a whisper, a plea.

  He leaned down over me suddenly, his chest pressing against my back, one hand bracing his weight on the bed while the other snaked around to massage my aching clit. His lips brushed the shell of my ear, and his low, rumbling voice reached a spot inside me I hadn’t even known existed until now.

  “Mine.”

  He bit down on my earlobe as he said the word, and my world exploded. A harsh cry fell from my lips as my body shook with waves of pleasure. Fen drove into me hard and deep several more times, riding out my orgasm before tumbling into his own.

  We collapsed on the bed in a heap, his weight resting on my back, his cock still inside me, our bodies damp with water and sweat.

  I felt boneless, sated—and whole.

  When he moved to get off me, I muttered an incoherent protest, and he pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I hate to do this, but I think you’ll need to breathe eventually.”

  Fuck. Who needed air? I would gladly trade it for the comforting feel of Fenris’s muscle and scruff, the scent of pine that lingered on his skin as though he carried a bit of the forest with him everywhere he went.

  He retreated to the bathroom, and I rolled my limp body over, staring up at the ceiling. A moment later, he returned with a warm, wet cloth and kneeled between my legs to clean me off. I looked down my body at him, touched by the simple, tender gesture.

  “Fenris?” I murmured, my throat tightening with emotion.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re mine too, you know.”

  He glanced up at me, happiness glowing in his chocolate brown eyes.

  “Killer, I’ve known that since the beginning.”

  Chapter 17

  I slept dreamlessly that night.

  Fenris’s warm arms encased me like a shell, and it was as though the protective shield of his body kept all my nightmares at bay.

  When I woke, yellow sunlight was peeking through the curtains, doing its best to bring light to the dim room. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but I felt like I’d slept for hours. My body was mostly recovered from the explosion, thanks to the healer’s skill and a good night’s rest. My mind felt clearer too.

  A pall of grief still hung over me, but I could see through it, at least. I could function.

  Fen lay next to me, his hand splayed across my stomach and his face buried in my hair. He made a grumbling sound and pulled me closer to him when I shifted.

  Slowly, I became aware of other sounds in the room. Other people breathing.

  I sat up, keeping the sheets pinned to my body. Corin, Akio, and Jae were all sprawled on the floor in little piles of blankets and pillows. My eyes widened, and I pursed my lips, not sure if I should smile, laugh, or cry at the sight. At my apartment, we’d all slept in the same bedroom out of necessity—it was the only one there was. But all of us cramming into a single room in a giant mansion that had enough space to house a small army struck me as hilariously ridiculous.

  It was a little strange to wake up in bed with one man, surrounded by three others. But I was beginning to accept that this was my life now, and as odd and occasionally awkward as it may be, I wouldn’t want to change it.

  These men were all as attached to me as I was to them. The feeling of having them near me in this room soothed me in a way I never would’ve thought possible, even if it did leave me with the conundrum of how to get out of bed and put some clothes on without making things even more awkward.

  I opted for speed and stealth, slipping out of Fenris’s grasp and tiptoeing to the wardrobe as quickly as I could. It didn’t even squeak when I opened it, and I snatched a dark blue dress off a hanger. I turned around, hidden from half the room by the large wardrobe doors, and was about to slip the dress over my head, when a pair of green eyes caught my attention.

  Jae was the only one in the part of the room the wardrobe doors didn’t shield me from, and his head lifted off the pillow, his light brown hair slightly mussed from sleep. His gaze locked on me, and although the expression on his face was inscrutable, I could tell he wasn’t breathing.

  Well, that made two of us.

  My cheeks flamed, half from embarrassment and half from… something else.

  I trusted Jae completely and had come to care so much for the kind, intelligent, thoughtful man I knew him to be. But I’d never been sure of our relationship beyond that, of what else might exist between us. Even now, with his eyes locked on my naked body, I couldn’t read him the same way I could’ve read Corin or Fen. The sight definitely affected him, but his control over his emotions was so tight I wasn’t sure he could even admit that fact to himself.

  Slowly, keeping my gaze on his, I slid the dress down my body. When it settled around my curves, Jae seemed to finally shake himself from his stupor, drawing in a quick breath and blinking a few times. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but then closed it again. Pulling his eyes away from me, he rested his head back on the pillow.

  A heightened awareness buzzed through my veins as I grabbed a pair of panties from the dresser and slipped them on. I tiptoed across the room, careful not to wake any of the others, and when I reached the door and turned back to look, Jae’s eyes were closed again, his breathing even.

  I padded down the hall in bare feet, my grief ratcheting up with each step I took. This house was Beatrice’s, and it felt different without her. I thought of what she’d said about walking past the kitchen just to hear us talking and laughing inside, and I wished I had been thoughtful enough to notice and invite her in.

  Halfway down the stairs, I cocked my head.

  There were voices coming from the main floor.

  Male voices.

  I paused, my foot hovering above a step. Shit. My four were all upstairs, and that definitely wasn’t Retta and Darcy talking. Could it be someone else my grandmother had employed? I knew she’d had other help besides the cook and maid, but those two were the only ones who seemed to come every day. The house had several self-cleaning spells on it, so it didn’t need an army of maids to keep it spotless.

  Had the Representatives sent Peacekeepers to force us out? Without Beatrice’s protection, I wasn’t sure I had any allies left in the government.

  My daggers were still upstairs, but thanks to my training with Jae, I didn’t feel as naked without them. I held up a hand, and an orange flame burst to life above my palm. No harm in being prepared.

  I descended the steps and crept down the large hallway. The voices were coming from a living room off the main hall that I’d passed by plenty of times but never been in before. Holding my fireball at the ready, I darted forward and peered around the doorframe into the room.

  The TV was on.

  Two men on the screen were discussing the differences between pixies and fairies, and what exactly it was that made fairies so pleasant to be around and pixies the opposite.

  Ivy turned around, kneeling on the couch to peer over the back. “Oh, you’re awake!”

  Letting the magical flame flicker out, I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to slow my racing heartbeat. “Good gods, Ivy! You scared me to death!”

  Her brow furrowed. “Well, that’s not true. You’re still alive; I can tell.” She brightened. “But if you want me to try, I can—”

  “No! No. That’s okay.” I held out a hand. Ivy was obsessed with how much better our friend
ship would be if we were both ghosts, but I wasn’t ready to give up on living just yet. Not when I had four gorgeous men sleeping upstairs and an oppressive magical government to overthrow.

  Ivy tucked a lock of her blonde bob behind her ear and sighed. “Oh, fine.”

  I peered at the ghost more closely. “What are you doing here?”

  “It got too quiet.”

  A chuckle escaped me. “Couldn’t adjust the TV volume yourself? Or did the batteries on the remote die?”

  She fixed her big brown doe eyes on me, tilting her head. “Not the TV. The apartment. I liked it better when you were there. And when those four pretty men were there. I missed you.”

  An odd lump tightened my throat, and I looked away. For someone who’d spent years insisting she didn’t need anyone, I had somehow managed to gather a pretty incredible group of people around me—even if not all of them were technically alive.

  “I missed you too, Ivy. I’m glad you came.”

  “Me too!”

  She smiled brilliantly at me then flopped down on the couch again, her focus shifting back to the TV. Now that she’d made it clear she liked having me around, she obviously didn’t see the need to keep proving her affection.

  I grinned. Just like a cat.

  Slipping out of the room, I headed toward the kitchen, my anxiety rising as I neared it. Would Retta and Darcy even be here? Had anyone told them about Beatrice’s death?

  The answer became evident when I pushed open the door and the somber mood in the kitchen washed over me. Retta sat at the island, attempting to fold linens, but her hands were shaking so badly she kept having to start over. There were several loaves of bread lined up on the counter, and Darcy stirred something that simmered on the stove, her movements jerky.